Washington state’s gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 5 between Democrat Bob Ferguson, a lawyer who is currently serving as the 18th attorney general of Washington and Republican Dave Reichert, a retired police officer and former U.S. representative for Washington’s 8th congressional district. The information below is taken from candidate’s campaign pages, news publications and candidate debates.
Economy
Ferguson
Ferguson’s campaign page states that he has a focus on putting consumers first, and that in his time as attorney general, “He took on several billion-dollar corporations that violated the law, and won hundreds of millions of dollars for the hardworking people of Washington.” Ferguson also works with AARP to ensure the financial safety of seniors. In addition, Fergson has done work as attorney general to combat monopolies in several areas.
Reichert
Reichert focuses mostly on energy prices in his campaign, citing costs of transportation and energy as the source of several financial issues faced by Washington residents, to address this, Reichert says he will “Reverse the energy ban.” Reichert also says he will, “Lower property taxes and reduce or completely eliminate the carbon tax, allow for the opt-out of the long-term care tax, and empower people to make the call on any new tax,” as well as repeal unnecessary regulations on businesses.
Abortion Rights
Ferguson
Ferguson is pro-abortion rights, his campaign page calls him, “A champion for reproductive freedom, Bob is the only candidate endorsed by Planned Parenthood and Pro-Choice Washington. He is the only candidate you can trust to protect your reproductive freedom.”
Reichert
Reichert’s campaign page also does not mention abortion, however in the Sept. 10 gubernatorial debate, Reichert said despite being personally opposed to abortion, “I will support and protect the abortion laws that currently exist in Washington state.”
Public Safety
Ferguson
Ferguson’s campaign page touches on three aspects of public safety: supporting victims of violent crimes, safety in schools and fighting the opioid epidemic. Ferguson states that he has taken several steps to protect victims of sexual assault and human trafficking, and is “Working to end Washington’s shameful backlog of rape kits, because Bob believes these victims of sexual assault deserve justice.”
Reichert
Reichert’s strategy to address public safety focuses on improving law enforcement, identifying and prosecuting cartels and those who traffic fentanyl, stop juvenile crime and stop easy parole. Reichert’s page states he hopes to, “Recruit qualified officers. Protect law enforcement officers acting in good faith. Ensure qualified immunity laws are protected. The law should reflect a ‘reasonable officer’ standard not a ‘reasonable person’ standard when force is used. Law enforcement must be held accountable, but also protected with the same due process as all citizens.”
Education
Ferguson
Ferguson focuses on keeping schools safe from drugs and gun violence. “He built a coalition that included the Washington PTA and Washington Education Association to increase the tobacco and vape sale age to 21. Working with youth and student groups, Bob led the effort to combat mass shootings by banning the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
Reichert
Reichert focuses on fighting antisemitism in schools. As governor. Reichert states that he will adopt the definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), expand education surrounding Jewish identities in schools, and create stronger rules to stop antisemitism. On his campaign page, Reichart said, “We will prohibit state investments in, or purchases from, companies that boycott Israel. We also must remove public funding from any companies or firms doing business with or in Iran or any other state sponsors of terrorism.”
LGBT+ Rights
Ferguson
Ferguson has historically been in support of LGBT+ rights, “He personally argued the Arlene’s Flowers case before the Washington State Supreme Court after a flower shop owner refused to sell flowers to a same-sex couple for their wedding. He won the case in a 9-0 decision, guaranteeing same-sex couples the same rights as opposite sex couples in the marketplace.” according to his campaign page.
Reichert
Reichert does not mention LGBTQ+ related topics on his campaign page, however according to KHQ News, in a meeting with the Pierce County GOP, Reichert said, “Marriage is between a man and a woman,” as well as saying that he does not support transgender students taking part in sports.
